Collapsible tube dispenser



June 5, 1956 J. E. BEAN COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 10, 1952INVENTOR. JOHN ENOCH BEAN BY ATTORNEY United States Patent COLLAPSIBLETUBE DISPENSER John Enoch Bean, Attleboro, Mass.

Application October 10, 1952, Serial No. 314,110

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-97) The invention relates to paste dispensersespecially adapted for dispensing dental, shaving or facial creamswithout soiling the hands of the user and has for the primary object theprovision of an efficient, durable and inexpensive device of thischaracter which will support and protect from foreign matter acollapsible tube or container and its contents and has a simple manuallyactuated means to compress the tube and the cover protecting the tubewhen expelling the contents thereof in amounts as desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined toothbrushholder and tooth paste. tube dispenser in which the tooth brushes areprotected from foreign matter while being exposed to drying to preventsouring of the tooth brush.

Another object of the invention is to provide a utility collapsible tubedispenserattractive in appearance, me chanically intriguing in operationand economical in use.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of. parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, illustrating a dispenser inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal view partly in section taken along line 2-2of Figure 1 showing the mechanical arrangement of the parts comprisingthe collapsible tube dispenser.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 2 takenalong line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view, showing an attachment for thedeviceillustrated in Figure 1, comprisingthe tooth brush holder.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the wind up shaft and squeeze bars.

Referring in detail to the drawings, reference character indicates theattractive collapsible tube dispenser consisting of a housing 11 whichmay be secured to a wall, medicine cabinet or bath room fixture. Housing11 comprises a base 3 having an aperture centrally located therein andfour side walls 4, 5, 6 and 7. Side walls 4 and 5 are provided withslots 8 and 9. A removable cover 2 provided with a reinforced piece 1integrally connected thereto rests on the four side walls 4, 5, 6 and 7.

An endwise contractable casing, generally indicated by referencecharacter 12, comprises a cylindrical wall 13 composed of a series oftelescopic sections. The uppermost section of the cylindrical wall 13 isformed into an outwardly projecting collar 14 which is larger indiameter than aperture 15 so that the cylindrical wall 13 may passthrough aperture 15 and hang from base 3 as by gravity and thereby beremovable from housing 11 for reasons presently to be described.

The lowermost section of wall 13 is secured to a cup 16 having an insidediameter 17 of a size to fit over the largest of the telescopicsections. Cup 16 is provided with a nozzle 18 secured therein and havinga threaded area 20 adapted to accommodate the threaded portion of thedischarge neck 19 of a collapsible tube 21. A wiper 22 is. yieldinglymounted in nozzle 18.

A U-shaped member 23 is. secured to. or may be formed integral withcover 2 at the. base of the U. The legs of the U are accommodated inslots 8 and .9 and. are. provided with bearings which accommodate a windup shaft 24. One of the bearings 25 is C-shapedv or opened on one sidenear the top to permit shaft 24v to be slipped into position.

Two squeeze bars. 26 and 27 are secured to or formed integral with thelegs of the U at their base. The squeeze bars 26 and 27 have convexedsurfaces 52 and 53 contoured to accommodate the collapsible tube andforce the paste from the discharge end of the tube.

It is contemplated that the present invention may be made of moldedplastic or it may be made of fabricated metal. The skill of the callingwill determine the means of uniting the several parts.

Wind up shaft 24 is provided with a slot 56 across its full length whichis adapted to accommodate the closed end of a collapsible tube.

In operation, the device will be described, starting'with the insertionofa full collapsible tube of paste. Collapsible tube dispenser it) willbe in three separate and distinct parts. Cover 2 and cylindrical wall 13will be. separated from housing 11. Cylindrical wall 13 will betelescopically collapsed with the sections resting in cup 16. The capwill be removed. from the full tube of. paste. The screw threads for thecapv on the neck of the full tube of paste will be caused to engagethreaded area 20 of nozzle 18. The telescopic sections will be. extendedand passed through aperture 15 of housing 11 with collar 14 restingagainst base 3. The sealed end of collapsible tube 21 will be passedbetween squeeze. bars 26 and 27 and be caused to wedge in the. slot 56of wind up shaft 24. Cover 2 will be put in place over housing 11. Ashandle 31 on shaft 24 is turned, winding collapsible tube 21 aroundshaft 24, squeeze bars 26 and 27 will force the paste out of collapsibletube 21 into nozzle 16, past wiper 22 onto a brush orthe like. Whenhandle 31 is no longer turned, wiper 22 will spring back to the.position shown in Figure 3 severing the stream of pasteand allowing theamount measured by the turning of handle 31 to drop onto the'brush. Ashandle 31 is turned. wrapping tube 21 around itself cup 16 is drawntoward housing 11. causing the telescopic sections of cylindrical wall13 to telescope, until all the paste in collapsible tube 21 is extruded.

Upon exhaustion of tube 21, cover 2 is lifted thereby raising U-shapedmember 24 high enough to permit collapsible tube 21 to be severed at apoint below squeeze bars 26, 27 by means of a scissors or a knife.Handle 31 is revolved a few turns permitting the wrapped around portionof tube 21 on shaft 24 to be drawn through the slot in said shaft aftershaft 24 is lifted out of engagement with its bearings. The process isthen repeated as previously described after the exhausted tube 21 isunscrewed from threads 20 and discarded.

Figure 4 depicts an adjunct to Figure 1. It comprises a back board 35 towhich housing 11 may be secured. In which event back board 35 may besecured to a bath room wall, medicine cabinet or bath room fixture. Backboard 35 is provided with a right angle base 36 having circular cut out37 adapted to accommodate cup 16 when a fresh tube of paste is insertedin collapsible tube dispenser 10. On either side of back board 35, twobrackets 40 and 41 are integrally formed with sets of cars 42 and 43.Two containers 44 and 45 are pivotally mounted in sets of ears 42 and 43respectively by means of shafts 47 and 48. Containers 44 and 45 areprovided with circulating air holes 50. The bottom of containers 44 and45 are missing (as at 51) leaving a five sided cube with an open bottom.Ledges 52 are integrally formed with brackets 40 and 41. a

In operation, tooth brushes with the bottom row of bristles resting onledges 52 will be retained in place by means of containers 44 and 45with the handles of the tooth brushes projecting through open bottom 51.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, by way of example, but realizing that structural changescould be made and other examples given without departing from either thespirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. A paste dispenser comprising a housing, a circular contractablecasing of telescopic sections secured on one end to said housing, adispensing head provided with a nozzle secured to the other end of saidcontractable casing, a wiper yieldingly mounted in said nozzle, athreaded area in said nozzle adapted to receive the threaded neck of acollapsible tube with the tube arranged in an inverted position withinsaid contractable casing, slots in said housing, a U-shaped bracketsecured in said slots by means of its base being secured to saidhousing, a pair of bearings in said U-shaped bracket, one bearing beingC-shaped, a shaft provided with a slot and a knob fixed thereto,rotatably mounted in said pair of bearings, a pair of squeeze barsmounted in said U-shaped bracket and arranged to receive the tubetherebetween, the end of said tube secured in said slot whereby saidtube may be wound around said shaft, expelling the contents of said tubethrough said nozzle and retracting said cup and contractable casing.

2. A paste dispenser for a collapsible tube comprising a housing, acontractable casing for the collapsible tube secured to said housing, adispensing head secured to said contractable casing and provided with atubular outlet member having a wiper yieldingly mounted therein andarranged for connection with the outlet of said collapsible tubecontaining material to be dispensed and rotatable means within saidhousing arranged for connection with the tube to be collapsed forsimultaneously collapsing said portion of the tube and retracting saidtube within said contractable casing and contracting said contractablecasing when manually operated, a back board to which said housing issecured, and having a right angle base provided with a circular cutadapted to engage said dispensing head at the start of the retracting Iof said tube, two brackets and two ledges integrally formed with saidback board, a set of ears integrally formed in each of said brackets,two containers having circulating air holes and open bottoms, pivotallymounted in said set of ears, and tooth brushes resting on said ledgesand held in position by said containers, the tooth brush handles passingthrough said open bottoms.

3. A paste dispenser for a collapsible tube consisting of a housing, acircular contractable casing comprising a plurality of telescopicsections, the end section on one end being fixed to said housing, atubular outlet member having a wiper yieldingly mounted therein beingfixed to the opposite end section of said contractable casing, rotatablemeans mounted in said housing, a collapsible tube having one end securedto said rotatable means and the other end secured to said tubular outletmember whereby rotation of said rotatable means simultaneously collapsessaid tube while retracting said telescopic sections as the collapsedportion of the tube is wound around said rotatable means and thecontents of the collapsible tube is dispensed through said tubularoutlet member past said wiper.

4. A paste dispenser comprising a housing, a circular contractablecasing comprising a plurality of telescopic sections, the end section onone end secured to said housing, a dispensing head provided with anozzle secured to the end section on the opposite end, a U-shapedbracket having a set of bearings fixed in said housing, a shaft providedwith a slot, a knob secured to one end of said shaft, said shaftrotatably mounted in said bearings, a set of squeeze bars mounted insaid U-shaped bracket, a threaded area in said nozzle, a tube of pastesecured on one end in said threaded area and projecting through saidcontractable casing, the other end of said tube passing between saidsqueeze bars and secured in said slot, rotation of said knob rotatingsaid shaft to force the paste in said tube through said squeeze bars todispense through said nozzle as the tube is wound around said shaftcontracting said contractable casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS648,981 Nelson May 8, 1900 1,270,267 Crismon June 25, 1918 1,299,758Mullaly Apr. 8, 1919 1,472,845 Kelley Nov. 6, 1923 1,745,427 La ReddolaFeb. 4, 1930 1,826,189 Rothwell Oct. 6, 1931 1,975,691 Hibbs Oct. 2,1934 2,097,308 Ruth Oct. 26, 1937 2,104,954 Stanton Jan. 11, 19382,182,606 Ziegler Dec. 5, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,451 Italy Feb. 2,1935

